Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle has clarified that recent reports alleging customs tariff manipulation and the disappearance of pages from official documents are misleading and exaggerated.

Speaking at a meeting of the Finance Committee on Wednesday, Minister Wagle stated that there had been no policy-level interference in customs duties and that a technical issue had been unnecessarily turned into a political controversy.

Responding to concerns raised by lawmakers, Wagle explained that some customs rates adjusted by the previous coalition government had merely been clarified in the current Economic Bill. He emphasized that no hidden changes or unauthorized revisions had been made.

According to the minister, only a minor adjustment was made to the customs duty applicable to carriers used for transporting blood and vaccines. He described the change as a humanitarian and technical matter rather than a policy shift.

Wagle further noted that several other revisions were made solely to improve linguistic clarity and remove ambiguities in the legal text. He rejected claims that customs rates had been secretly altered within the Ministry of Finance.

Addressing allegations that 16 pages had disappeared from a government report, the finance minister explained that the issue stemmed from document formatting. He said that in large documents exceeding 450 pages, even minor changes in column size or formatting can significantly affect the overall page count.

He stressed that no unauthorized modifications had been made after the bill was officially tabled in Parliament and assured lawmakers that the document remained intact.

Calling the controversy an attempt to create “a storm in a teacup,” Wagle said he was prepared to respond to any concerns and defend the government's actions.

The finance minister also urged stakeholders and the public not to misinterpret decisions taken in the interest of national priorities and humanitarian needs. He reaffirmed his commitment to providing further clarification whenever necessary.